COLD HANDS• VOLTURI KINGS

CHAPTER THREE

The room was large, with rows of dark bookshelves lining the left wall and a fireplace on the right. Hundreds of papers and files sat on the large mahogany desk in the middle of the study, and behind that hung a velvet curtain covering the majority of the wall. It felt important, like he was entering the Oval Office. Jane appeared by his side, "Please make yourself comfortable, I'm sure the kings will be with you soon" She says, perfectly calm.

Oliver jumps at her sudden arrival, "Kings? What do you mean?" He asks, turning to look down at her. Jane's eyebrows furrowed, she seems disgusted by his lack of knowledge. " It wouldn't be my place to explain this situation to you but considering you're asking such a basic question I'll answer you" she pauses "Those three men on thrones, they are the Kings, and they'll be with you shortly" Oliver is amazed at how calm she sounds but makes it known she's annoyed. He sort of likes her.

'Kings?! What, of Italy? No that's a stupid. Of what, then? ' He asks himself, 'kings of what?'

Jane makes a silent exit and leaves Oliver to stand awkwardly in the study. He wonders briefly if he would get away with taking a closer look at the books, but quickly decides against it. He settles for sitting in a soft armchair in front of the burning fireplace. He doesn't allow himself to become too relaxed though, sitting straight up and aware. Staring at the orange embers until his eyes felt funny.

He's not sure how much time has passed, there's no clock in the study, so he's caught completely off guard when the door swings open. And in strides the three men, Kings Oliver thinks, how can they be Kings?

They locate him on the chair almost immediately and their gazes grow more soft and relieved for it, as if they had been worried he'd made an escape, jump from the window perhaps. Aro speaks first and takes a step towards him. "Oliver, do you understand the situation you find yourself in?" He asks, face brimming with concern.

Oliver stares at him for a second, it takes him a while to ignore the smoothness of his voice and understand what he'd been asked. "Um, no, not at all" he says carefully, grip tightening on the arm of the chair. Aro nods like he expected this, "It's very hard to explain, I'm sure you're quite scared" he says this like he's admitting some terrible sin, as if the idea of Oliver being scared was terrible.

The human nods, not wanting to verbalise his fear. Aro continues, "I'm quite glad you're sitting down for this" he chuckles at his own joke, he receives no other reaction apart from an annoyed sigh from Caius. "Well, to be blunt, we are not human, dear Oliver, we are something else entirely" he starts, stepping closer to where Oliver is sat.

Oliver blinks in surprise, this was not how he expected this conversation to go. "Not human? I'm sorry, but I don't understand" he says, suddenly feeling like a small child, dumb and unremarkable. Aro gives him a grave look before tearing his life in two jagged pieces, "vampires, we are vampires, Oliver'' he says, looking almost frightened of Oliver's reaction.

The human's eyebrows furrow before sliding closer in the chair and bringing his legs up to his chest. He wonders if he really does look like a small child, he was probably just as naive, too. Because he just looks up at Aro with silent curiosity gleaming in the blue of his eyes. Vampires were complex creatures, odd things as well. And considering all of the strange events of the past day, he couldn't simply cast this off as absurd, not when their eyes were that colour. Even after hearing the word leave Aro's lips and associating him forever with it, he still looked into his eyes and saw rubies, not the slick crimson that was currently coursing through his body.

"Oh, I suppose you'll need to kill me now." Oliver speaks, almost sarcastically. Because he knew showing fear would get him nowhere, nowhere alive, anyway. Aro's face scrunches up in disgust, as if the mere thought of hurting him pained him. He sank to his knees by Oliver's chair, looking up to the human for the first time. "No, no, never. No one in this castle will harm you, of that I am certain" hopefulness captures his gaze.